1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to a fuel, gasifier feedstock material, or transportation fluid, methods of preparing the economical material, and its composition. More particularly, this invention relates to methods of preparing a combustible, pumpable and readily transportable fluid admixture of coal or other carbonaceous material particles in water to facilitate the processing, transportation and utilization of the fossil carbonaceous resource materials, where are so abundantly available, as well as the carbon byproducts of industry.
2. Description of the Prior Art:
In my recently issued U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,657 "Stabilized Suspension of Carbon in Hydrocarbon Fuel and Method of Preparation", references are cited which emphasize the needs for new technologies which can provide economical power and energy while satisfying ecological considerations and improving environmental conditions. The problems associated with the recent "energy shortage" or "energy dilemma" are now reasonably well known, and are dramatized by trippling or quadrupling of world petroleum prices end domestic natural gas prices.
In my hereinabove referenced U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,657, the difficulties encountered in previous conventional methods of transportation for the carbonaceous fuels were discussed, i.e. rail shipment of coal and lignite and water slurry pipeline transportation of coal. Difficulties encountered in utilization of fuels delivered by conventional means were also discussed, as well as difficulties encountered in attempts to transport and use mixtures or slurries of pulverized coal and hydrocarbon oils. The referenced Patent provided simple, effective and economically feasible answers to the problems which have plagued the field of coal-oil mixtures technology. However, the stabilized suspensold fuels provided; even though they are more easily produced, handled, transported, stored and utilized, and have higher carbon to hydrocarbon ratios than any prior art technologies could provide; are still dependent on availability, and to some extent on prices of hydrocarbon oils.
Since the so-called "energy dilemma" is basically only a reflection of the fact that most of the economically recoverable hydrocarbon resources of the world have been discovered and rapidly exploited or wasted (i.e. natural gas flared to accelerate immediate profits on crude oil), there still remains most urgent need for fuel technologies which are completely independent of any reliance on hydrocarbon natural resources.
The technologies provided by my U.S. Pat. No. 4,045,092, "Fuel Composition and Method of Manufacture", allow economical production, transportation and utilization of fuels made from coal or lignite, which are, or can be, completely independent of any reliance on hydrocarbon resources. However, the rate at which these new technologies can be implemented depends to some degree on the rate at which new capital-intensive coal conversion plants can be built and put into operation to produce alcohols from coal or lignite, water, and air (oxygen). Consequently, there is urgent near-term need for other methods or technology which can facilitate the production, transportation and utilization of the carbonaceous fossil fuels, and which are essentially independent of the requirement for any hydrocarbon materials in their production or manufacture.
There is also great need for technologies which can produce materials which are, in turn, particularly applicable to the coal gasification or carbon gasification processes which can provide intermediate fuel-value (BTU) fuel gas, or synthesis gas (carbon monoxide and hydrogen mixture) for conversion to methanol, fuel grade alcohols (i.e. Methyl-fuel), ammonia, or methane (synthetic natural gas). Specifically, there is need for technologies which can provide an effective, economical means for feeding pulverized carbon materials or pulverized carbonaceous materials into pressurized gasifiers operating at pressures from a few hundred pounds per square inch to pressures of a few thousand pounds per square inch or more.
This Invention proposes to provide such technologies as are considered urgently needed hereinabove.